The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1887-05-14

the Italian States into one Italian king.
dom, bought up all the stamps Of the
small States-Modena, Lucca, the States
of the Church and Tuscany.
There are some stamps now worth
fancy prices; for instance, tile French
orange one-franc stamp of 1849, which is
worth 200 francs if new, and sixty francs
If cancelled. There are two blue Repub
lican stamps OF 1852, one for three sous
(ffteen centimes), and the other for six
sous (thirty centimes), which are worth
about 5000. A Sandwich Island stamp
of the first issue, with figures in place Of
design, is worth generally 5000 if in
| good condition.
The rarest stamp of all is that of the
| island of Mauritius in 1850. Be it red or
be it blue, cancelled or uneancelled, pro-
vided it has the word Post Office upon its
margin, it is worth $500. No doubt every
young collector will hope that some day
he will have the good fortune to find one,
but I regret to assure him that this is
very improbable, for all embassies and
| consulates the world over have been re-
peatedly entreated to keep lookout for
| one.
The white Mexican half-real stamp,
marked Guadalaxara, 1867, is worth, can
celled $50; a round British Guiana stamp,
black or yellow, of 1850, brings $55; the
telegraphic stamp of Bavaria. 1870, brings
1924 uncancelled; the two real red Span
ish stamp OF 1851 is held at $50, if new;
and $50 il cancelled. Apropos of this
stamp it is said that in 1873, when Don
Carlos III. was ravaging the Northern
provinces of Spain, he issued postage
stamps for Biscay, Navarro and Catalo-
mia, and forbade any inhabitant OF those
provinces, under pain of death, to put any
other stamp upon letter. AS his cousin
Alfonso XII. at once issued counter
order making it death to use the stamps
of Don Carlos, the inhabitants OF North
ern Spain had no resource but TO give
up writing letters.
Stamps in general show artistic taste
and skilful workmanship, but pre-emin-
ent in this respect are those of cur own
country. Every statesman ever promin-
emf in the United States, has his likeness
on the correspondence OF his country.
But sometimes an American postage
stamp has an historical scene, or addresses
-, OF
ton of the landing of Columbus; another
has the signing of the Declaration of In
depende CO engraved on it in miniature.
Some bear locomotive engine running
at full speed, and some an ocean steamer.
On one we see letter-carrier with we'll
filed pouch borne over seas, forests, and
cities, his coat tails streaming out behind.
These last, however, are the devices OF
private letter-delivering companies. On
the Egyptian stamp Sphinx lies couch
ant at the foot of Pyramid; ia China an
imperial dragon expedites the correspon-
dence. Turkey has crescent on q dark
ground. The little island of st. Nevis
must consider itself famed for the char
ity of its women. It's device is young
girl binding up sufferers wounds. Per
STA has the head Of its Shah, like any
civilized and Christian people, but il the
Persians had been orthodox Mohamme-
dams, portrait would not have been per-
mitted. Cashmere has an inscription In
Sanscrit; Japan covers its postage-atamps
with national emblems.
In 1852 mail-steamer was stranded
ON her way home from South Africa. Her
letter-b bags were some time under water,
but were at last recovered. All the blue
triangular Cape of Good Hope stamps
had turned black, and those black stamps
are now in demand; value from ten to
twenty dollars.
The monks of the Chartreuse at Client
have room papered beautifully with
postage stamps. There are Chinese land
scapes, Spanish chateaux, Swiss chalets
dogs, flowers, arabesques and inscriptions.
-Rarper's Young People.